Brandnewbuddy
Really Really Experienced
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2021
- Posts
- 427
The clamoring of the camp could be heard for miles. At the battlegrounds, thousands of recruits, orc, goblin, and defecting humans and elves trained with sword and bow. In the construction yards, craftsmen toiled over building siege weapons and portable fortifications. In the strategy tent, generals and captains painstakingly bore over maps for their next conquest. In the animal pens, large ridable wolves were fed fresh chunks of meat and dragons were fed whole live lambs to keep their hunger sated.
Yet the most active part of the camp was the center, where captured women from the army's various conquests were made to fill massive long tables with food and roll towering barrels of grog through the mud so they could be made ready for the night's festivities. In the middle of this frenzied activity stood a throne with a large, intimidating occupant. The figure was that of a green-skinned orc who had his eyes closed and was whispering a chant that only the most delicate of ears might pick up. his muscles were adorned with strange, arcane rune, and he wore not but a necklace with a human skull upon it and a simple loincloth.
The Orc was named Tarkash, though his epithets were many. Tarkash the butcher, Tarkash the defiler, Tarkash the slaver: all who knew him or at least knew his reputation cursed him.
So it was little surprise when one of the women, one who had been spending the day cutting meat from caracasses that had been cooking all day, drew her knife and charged at him with a primordial scream that tore through her throat like razor-blades. Despite her scream being loud enough to cause the camp to go silent, Tarkash merely kept his eyes closed and did not move from his spot, even as the knife was brought down on his neck.
The woman brought it down with all her force, yet the blade did not pierce. It merely bent against the warlord's throat. Yet the woman kept trying, slashing at his eyes and throat, cursing him for all the things he had done to her village and family. Yet none of this interrupted Tarkash's chanting. Guards surrounded the woman, tore the knife from her hand, and forced her to kneel in front of the main she had tried to slay. Tarkash finished his chanting a second later.
"Ah, Elizabeth. you'll have to forgive me, I was praying." He said in a calm voice. The woman looked at him with overflowing horror in her eyes, "Yes, I remember you. I remember every village, every man woman and child. I'm not sure why you want to kill me though. you eat far better here than you ever did on that little farm."
"You killed my father and brother!" she croaked out, desperate to do anything that might at least make that damn smug look flee from Tarkash's face.
Yet Tarkash's countenance maintained his smile with ease. "Your father tried to kill me, I'm allowed to defend myself, aren't I? And your dear brother was merely sent to be a concubine for the women of my village. It's a great honor. He even had his first daughter just yesterday. His wives even let him name her Elizabeth, isn't that sweet?"
"...Liar." She said, more to try and reassure herself than to accuse him. The Orc was blessed by the gods, if he claimed he saw it, he likely had.
"Well I have an easy way to prove you wrong." He said, his gentle smile becoming a wicked sneer, "you just need to become pregnant with an orc baby yourself and then I can send you to my village. Come men, take her to the barracks and have the recruite assist her with seeing her brother." The men laughed and dragged her away only to stop when Tarkash held out his hand, "Wait. I was in the middle of a prayer to Agni. Have only the Agni followers breed her. Her defilement will be an offering to him."
The men cheered and dragged Elizabeth away.
"Apologies ladies. Please continue with your work." Tarkash said, waving at the women who quickly went back to preaparing the feast, "Make sure to take a break soon though, you'll all need your strength for tonight.
*****
A mile away from the camp, 6 cloaked individuals stood in huddled in an abandoned shed, awaiting a seventh.
"That stupid woman! why did she have to attack him? She would have been freed tonight!" A woman in the group exclaimed, tossing her hood back so she could cover her long pointed ears. She was a high-elf, blessed with senses that let her keenly observe all around her yet now her sensitive ears were hearing things she desperately did not want to hear.
"Calm yourself Fiona, she didn't know and we can still save her tonight." The next figure pulled down his hood, revealing a handsome countenance. He was a human man, barely an adult, but he was clearly the leader of the group.
"I swear I'm going to make Tarkash pay," A smaller figure said, pulling her hood back to reveal her red, curled hair. She was a dwarf and based on the way her cloak clung to her, a very muscular one. "Praying to Agni, that's a dwarven god! How dare he pray to him."
The tallest hooded figure laughed until his hood fell back, revealing a wild-haired man who was of advanced years. He smiled a toothless grin at his compatriots. "Gods don't much care for who prays to them, Miriam, only that they get prayers ain't that right church lady?"
"I don't care for that phrasing...but you are correct that Tarkash is currently blessed by all of the gods, Agni included...but it's a trial of faith, once he's defeated, the gods' blessings will be returned to us and the orcs will be driven to the ends of the earth along with all others who joined in his campaign." A gentle voice said from underneath her hood. She puled hers back, revealling silver hair and small but pointed ears: a half-elf.
She held the last hooded figure's hand tight. "It will be all right dear. no reason to be scared."
"Hey, dumbasses! make anymore noise and you'll alert the whole fucking camp." A A large sturdy orc woman strode into the room. Despite her fierce appearance, the group looked more annoyed than surprised. "I'm taking a big risk meeting with your little resistance, let alone planning to kill Tarkash, so let's not mess it up."
She looked over at the leader, "So I take it you're Clovis? Got the sword?"
Clovis nodded, and drew out a runed blade from his cloak.
"Good. Long ears! You got the binding arrows?"
Fiona looked at her with a look of hatred, "yes," she hissed.
"Short stuff, you got the gauntlets?"
Miriam knocked her fists together under her cloak, letting a loud 'clang' noise reverberate through the room.
"Old fuck-"
"Isaac my dear woman, my name is Isaac," the old man said, winking at the orc, "and I assure you my spells are prepared."
"Good, cause if you screw this up, all of you are dead and I ain't covering for you. As for you-" It was the orc's turn to wink. Though this time it was at the half-elf, "Felicia, my sweet. Were you able to procure Tarkash's present?"
The half-elf looked downcast, "Yes, mistress Barakash." Her face was suddenly became beet red, "Yes Barakash. She met all of the specifications you said. we haven't had time to give her all the details but she's a perfect fit."
The orc woman went over to the last cloaked figure, "Well girlie, take the cloak off and let's see what we're working with. I need to see if you got the body for this. Where are you from, have you ever fucked?"
"That's enough!" Felicia said, stepping in front of Barakash to shield the cloaked woman. "Dear, please take off your cloak. I know this is very sudden but she means well. "
Yet the most active part of the camp was the center, where captured women from the army's various conquests were made to fill massive long tables with food and roll towering barrels of grog through the mud so they could be made ready for the night's festivities. In the middle of this frenzied activity stood a throne with a large, intimidating occupant. The figure was that of a green-skinned orc who had his eyes closed and was whispering a chant that only the most delicate of ears might pick up. his muscles were adorned with strange, arcane rune, and he wore not but a necklace with a human skull upon it and a simple loincloth.
The Orc was named Tarkash, though his epithets were many. Tarkash the butcher, Tarkash the defiler, Tarkash the slaver: all who knew him or at least knew his reputation cursed him.
So it was little surprise when one of the women, one who had been spending the day cutting meat from caracasses that had been cooking all day, drew her knife and charged at him with a primordial scream that tore through her throat like razor-blades. Despite her scream being loud enough to cause the camp to go silent, Tarkash merely kept his eyes closed and did not move from his spot, even as the knife was brought down on his neck.
The woman brought it down with all her force, yet the blade did not pierce. It merely bent against the warlord's throat. Yet the woman kept trying, slashing at his eyes and throat, cursing him for all the things he had done to her village and family. Yet none of this interrupted Tarkash's chanting. Guards surrounded the woman, tore the knife from her hand, and forced her to kneel in front of the main she had tried to slay. Tarkash finished his chanting a second later.
"Ah, Elizabeth. you'll have to forgive me, I was praying." He said in a calm voice. The woman looked at him with overflowing horror in her eyes, "Yes, I remember you. I remember every village, every man woman and child. I'm not sure why you want to kill me though. you eat far better here than you ever did on that little farm."
"You killed my father and brother!" she croaked out, desperate to do anything that might at least make that damn smug look flee from Tarkash's face.
Yet Tarkash's countenance maintained his smile with ease. "Your father tried to kill me, I'm allowed to defend myself, aren't I? And your dear brother was merely sent to be a concubine for the women of my village. It's a great honor. He even had his first daughter just yesterday. His wives even let him name her Elizabeth, isn't that sweet?"
"...Liar." She said, more to try and reassure herself than to accuse him. The Orc was blessed by the gods, if he claimed he saw it, he likely had.
"Well I have an easy way to prove you wrong." He said, his gentle smile becoming a wicked sneer, "you just need to become pregnant with an orc baby yourself and then I can send you to my village. Come men, take her to the barracks and have the recruite assist her with seeing her brother." The men laughed and dragged her away only to stop when Tarkash held out his hand, "Wait. I was in the middle of a prayer to Agni. Have only the Agni followers breed her. Her defilement will be an offering to him."
The men cheered and dragged Elizabeth away.
"Apologies ladies. Please continue with your work." Tarkash said, waving at the women who quickly went back to preaparing the feast, "Make sure to take a break soon though, you'll all need your strength for tonight.
*****
A mile away from the camp, 6 cloaked individuals stood in huddled in an abandoned shed, awaiting a seventh.
"That stupid woman! why did she have to attack him? She would have been freed tonight!" A woman in the group exclaimed, tossing her hood back so she could cover her long pointed ears. She was a high-elf, blessed with senses that let her keenly observe all around her yet now her sensitive ears were hearing things she desperately did not want to hear.
"Calm yourself Fiona, she didn't know and we can still save her tonight." The next figure pulled down his hood, revealing a handsome countenance. He was a human man, barely an adult, but he was clearly the leader of the group.
"I swear I'm going to make Tarkash pay," A smaller figure said, pulling her hood back to reveal her red, curled hair. She was a dwarf and based on the way her cloak clung to her, a very muscular one. "Praying to Agni, that's a dwarven god! How dare he pray to him."
The tallest hooded figure laughed until his hood fell back, revealing a wild-haired man who was of advanced years. He smiled a toothless grin at his compatriots. "Gods don't much care for who prays to them, Miriam, only that they get prayers ain't that right church lady?"
"I don't care for that phrasing...but you are correct that Tarkash is currently blessed by all of the gods, Agni included...but it's a trial of faith, once he's defeated, the gods' blessings will be returned to us and the orcs will be driven to the ends of the earth along with all others who joined in his campaign." A gentle voice said from underneath her hood. She puled hers back, revealling silver hair and small but pointed ears: a half-elf.
She held the last hooded figure's hand tight. "It will be all right dear. no reason to be scared."
"Hey, dumbasses! make anymore noise and you'll alert the whole fucking camp." A A large sturdy orc woman strode into the room. Despite her fierce appearance, the group looked more annoyed than surprised. "I'm taking a big risk meeting with your little resistance, let alone planning to kill Tarkash, so let's not mess it up."
She looked over at the leader, "So I take it you're Clovis? Got the sword?"
Clovis nodded, and drew out a runed blade from his cloak.
"Good. Long ears! You got the binding arrows?"
Fiona looked at her with a look of hatred, "yes," she hissed.
"Short stuff, you got the gauntlets?"
Miriam knocked her fists together under her cloak, letting a loud 'clang' noise reverberate through the room.
"Old fuck-"
"Isaac my dear woman, my name is Isaac," the old man said, winking at the orc, "and I assure you my spells are prepared."
"Good, cause if you screw this up, all of you are dead and I ain't covering for you. As for you-" It was the orc's turn to wink. Though this time it was at the half-elf, "Felicia, my sweet. Were you able to procure Tarkash's present?"
The half-elf looked downcast, "Yes, mistress Barakash." Her face was suddenly became beet red, "Yes Barakash. She met all of the specifications you said. we haven't had time to give her all the details but she's a perfect fit."
The orc woman went over to the last cloaked figure, "Well girlie, take the cloak off and let's see what we're working with. I need to see if you got the body for this. Where are you from, have you ever fucked?"
"That's enough!" Felicia said, stepping in front of Barakash to shield the cloaked woman. "Dear, please take off your cloak. I know this is very sudden but she means well. "
